Alric looked on as the Blackdeath decimated the Royal Guards. Her graceful movement felt like it was otherworldly but had an air of familiarity at its roots.

Shaking from his stupor Alric felt his death was inevitable this time around. Afterall, if the Royal Guards who were all fully realized paladins couldn’t stop her, then what was a half baked mage like himself supposed to do.

Alric clenched his teeth feeling defeated before even fighting.

‘Well… If this is where I die, then I have nothing to hide nor lose.’

Alric's smile, although tinged with resignation, held a spark of defiance. Raising his Terrier Blade, he pointed it at the Blackdeath. He knew that this battle might be his last, but he was determined to face it with honor.

Summoning every ounce of his inner strength, Alric tapped into the hidden reservoirs of mana within his Kludde contract. The protective shroud of darkness mana surrounding him intensified, swirling and writhing like a tempest.

‘Greater magic boost!’

As he invoked a spell to boost his magical capabilities, his own mana surged, intertwining with the surrounding darkness mana. The energy enveloping Alric seemed to thicken, pulsating with newfound intensity.

Yet, it still wasn't enough. The raw power coursing through him was merely a fraction of what he needed to face the Blackdeath on equal terms. Frustration and helplessness clawed at him.

Alric clicked his tongue inwardly feeling like he had no option left. At the moment his attack wasn’t even on par with the blows the Royal Guard’s commander was dishing out.

"This isn't the end!"

he whispered fiercely, his voice filled with determination.

Alric focused once more and this time instead of only his mana he wrapped his own internal magical circles into the burning mana around him.

The energy surrounding him solidified into an ethereal vortex, spiraling with an almost viscous intensity. It surged into his Terrier Blade, which gleamed with an iridescent brilliance.

The Blackdeath, who had been locked in combat with the last Royal Guard, sensed a seismic shift in the magical energy. Her eyes widened in astonishment as she turned her attention towards Alric. What she witnessed left her momentarily stupefied..

Burning his own magical circles was an act that defied logic, an undertaking that only advanced mages could aspire to accomplish. Even then, it was an exceedingly rare feat, requiring immense control and mastery over one's magic circles.

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Even the Royal Guard who was attacking had to pause and look at him in complete disbelief.

“But… The level of control needed to burn one's circle should be impossible for a mage that young!”

But the Guards' words were interrupted by his own thoughts as he realized that the attack was aimed at him and the Blackdeath, since they were both locked in close combat.

“That retard is sacrificing his own circles just to kill me!”

The Blackdeath, her own thoughts, a whirlwind of confusion and surprise, watched as Alric's energy swelled to an astonishing crescendo.

The Blackdeath feeling she had to do something shifted her focus and was ready to lunge at Alric but heard a series of spells being casted.

‘Equ-boost’

‘Ultimate weaken’

When the Blackdeath heard these spells it felt as though her mind and body was out of sync. Her thoughts were processing at the normal superhuman speed but the pressure on her body made it feel as though she was trying to move while being buried in sand. Her attempts to respond were sluggish, her every action an ordeal.

The Royal Guard was in an even deeper stupor as he felt the effects of the same spells paralyzing him as well.

‘Impossible… He is just a child!’

the Royal Guard muttered in disbelief, his realization of Alric's extraordinary abilities clashing with his impending doom.

He thought he had seen the best of the best over his years but now he realized that talent knew no bounds.

The Royal Guard accepted his faith as the pressure that was building up in the point of Alric’s sword seemed to be at its peak.

For Alric, the world seemed to blur as he channeled every iota of his magical strength into a single, cataclysmic attack.

“Absolute Terror Blast!”

He cried out with unyielding determination.

The Terrier Blade, now glowing with a brilliant crimson light, vibrated violently as it unleashed a devastating, concentrated wave of energy. The sheer force of the attack was overwhelming, and the intensity threatened to consume Alric.

The moment Alric let loose the attack his Terrier Blade exploded and blasted Alric back into the wall behind him.

The Blackdeath, realizing the impending danger, summoned her decay darkness magic in desperation. The obsidian orbs coalesced around her, forming a dense shield just in time.

The shield bore the brunt of Alric's attack, and the room quaked under the ferocity of the collision. Cracks snaked through the barrier, and sections of it peeled away, leaving the Blackdeath exposed.

The Blackdeath grew nervous not seeing an end to the onslaught in sight.

In a matter of seconds the shield around her had crumbled under the power of Alric’s attack and she was defenseless.

Luckily for her Alric’s blast had ended and she only needed to feel the tail end of the attack.

Regardless this alone left her in a tattered state, her skin charred and her breathing labored. She fell to her knees feeling the effects of the attack for only a fraction of a second before looking over at the charred body across from her.

It would appear that the Royal Guard also had his own life saving methods but they weren’t nearly powerful enough to survive Alric’s attack.

The Blackdeath dusted off herself and kicked the Royal Guards' charred remains.

“Freaking noble lap dog.”

She clicked her tongue before walking over to Alric who had lost consciousness.

She looked at his unconscious body with caring eyes and soft hands almost afraid she might break him.

Her eyes welled with tears as she laid him down into her lap.

"I... I am sorry, little brother,"

she whispered, her voice filled with remorse.

"I needed to know how strong you had become. I never meant for it to go this far."

Beneath the veneer of terror and darkness, the Blackdeath's true feelings were exposed.